Amtrak train derails in Nebraska, several hurt

By IBT Staff Reporter On 08/26/11 AT 1:56 PM

A U.S. Amtrak train carrying an estimated 178 passengers struck a farm vehicle in southwest Nebraska on Friday, derailing two locomotives and three cars and sending a number of passengers to a local hospital, a rail spokesman said.

There were no reports of life-threatening injuries from the collision, which occurred at about 8:50 a.m. near Benkelman, Nebraska, Amtrak said.

The California Zephyr train had left the San Francisco Bay area en route to Chicago on Aug. 24. Passengers were being taken to a nearby high school to be cared for and transported east.